A zipline (or zip line, zip wire, aerial runway) is generally comprised of a trolley suspended on a cable, typically single and made of steel, attached between two platforms at a set distance apart. Usually erected at an elevated height and mounted on an incline. A zipline is designed to enable a participant propelled by gravity to travel in a straight forward path from one platform to another, while holding onto, or attached by a lanyard, to a freely moving trolley.
Some of the problems with the traditional zipline:
The traditional zipline acquires sag in the cable resultant from being erected over long distance. The further the cable is anchored between each platform, the greater the sag in the cable.
The conventional zipline is restricted to traverse in a straight forward path from Point A to Point B and does not allow the rider on the cable to continue beyond Point B or travel in a different direction, unless the rider is detached from one cable and attached to another.
The conventional zipline does not allow for curves, vertical or horizontal.
The traditional zipline is commonly erected high above the canopy and generally does not cater to the elderly, handicapped or participants who have a fear of heights.